Culture and Identity: LSIC Parents’ Beliefs and Values and Raising Young Indigenous Children in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

Who are you? Where do you come from? What does this mean? These are questions often asked of, and by, Indigenous Australian peoples because the answers provide details of identity, relationships and culture. These questions are not just philosophical, they are practical because they locate individuals, families and groups within and across places, spaces and times. This chapter gives attention to understanding how Indigenous Australian children are “growing up” strong in culture and identity in what is now the second decade of the twenty-first century. Whilst this age range is often cited as vital for other life stages there is limited research pertaining to the formation of identity and the role of culture, particularly for young Indigenous Australian children.